[Prevalence of HCV and HBV infection in patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma in Shanxi Province].

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of hepatitis C and B viruses (HCV and HBV) infection in the patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma (PHC) in Shanxi Province and evaluate their etiologic roles in the pathogenecity of PHC to lay a foundation for the prevention and control of it.

METHODS: Ninety-eight patients with PHC and 196 non-PHC controls matched in age and sex were selected from the four hospitals at provincial level in Shanxi Province. Serum antibodies against HCV (anti-HCV), HBs (anti-HBs), HBe (anti-HBe) and HBc (anti-HBc), IgM-antibody against HBc (anti-HBc-IgM), HBsAg and HBeAg were determined for all of them with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTS: Positivity for anti-HCV and rate of HBV infection were 8.16% and 63.37%, respectively, in the PHC patients, both significantly higher than those in the controls (P < 0.05), with attributable risk proportions of (ARP) 94%, and 91%, respectively. Multiple conditional logistic regression analysis showed that positive serum anti-HCV, HBsAg and anti-HBc a risk factors for PHC, all entered the regression model, with odds ratios (ORs) of 55.06, 10.18 and 9.85, respectively. Dichotomized contingency table analysis showed that OR for those positive both for anti-HCV and HBsAg was 61.37, significantly higher than that for single positive of either one, with an additive effect.

CONCLUSION: It suggested that both HCV and HBV infection were main etiologic factors for PHC in local. HBV also was an important factor in the pathogenecity of PHC, especially in those with both positive for HBsAg and anti-HBc. Coinfection with HBV and HCV had an additive effect on PHC pathogenecity.